Sports
ISL auction: Mumbai City FC bag Chhetri for Rs.1.20 crore
Mumbai: India national football team captain Sunil Chhetri was bagged by Mumbai City FC for a massive Rs.1.20 crore at the 2015 Indian Super League (ISL) players auction here on Friday.
Four-time All India Football Federation (AIFF) player of the year, Chhetri had the highest base price in the auction at Rs.80 lakh. The second edition of the ISL is scheduled to start on October 3.
The prolific forward has made 87 international appearances and scored 50 goals for India.
Chhetri plays for Bengaluru FC in the I-League and helped the club to the title in 2014, becoming the joint top scorer in the league that year. Chhetri didn’t play in the the first edition of ISL after his club refused to release him for the tournament.
Speaking after being selected in ISL, Chhetri said: “I am really excited to be a part of ISL this season.”
The auction of 10 footballers, which is ongoing here on Friday, has been divided into two phases, Pool A and Pool B, with five players in each group. Chhetri was the star action of Pool A of the auction.
Chhetri, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Anas Edathodika, Thoi Singh and Jackichand Singh comprise Pool A.
Midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh, who had a base price of Rs.27.5 lakh, was bought by FC Pune City for a whooping Rs.1.05 crore. In 62 I-League appearances, he has scored eight goals. The 28-year-old played also played for Bengaluru FC in the I-League last season.
Defender Anas Edathodika, 28, was bought by Delhi Dynamos for Rs.41 lakh. He featured for Pune FC in I-League last year. He has made 53 appearances for his club so far and has a base price of Rs.40 lakh.
Bengaluru FC’s midfielder Thoi Singh, with a base price of Rs.39 lakh, was bought by Chennaiyin FC for Rs.86 lakh. The 24-year-old has scored eight goals in 37 I-League appearances.
I-League club Royal Wahingdoh’s medio Jackichand Singh was lapped up by FC Pune City for Rs.45 lakh. The 23-year-old had a base price of Rs.20 lakh. The midfielder has five goals to his name in 18 I-league appearances.
Home
Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.